José Mourinho looked for no excuses after Roma’s disastrous Conference League setback in Norway and took full responsibility for the Giallorossi 1-6 humiliation at the hand of Bodo/Glimt.
“It is my fault. I am the one who decided to play with this lineup. My intentions were good: I wanted to give a chance to those players who work hard but don’t get much playing time. On the other hand, I wanted to rest those who always play and spare them to play on an artificial turf in such weather conditions,” the Portuguese gaffer said in his post-match remarks.
Roma’s starting XI was filled with second lines and Mourinho claimed that, overall, the quality of his formation was inferior to Bodo/Glimt’s. “We lost against a team that has more quality that we do. Our starting lineup was inferior to Bodo’s,” Mourinho said.
The coach was brutally honest when talking about his backups: “If I could always line up the same players I would do it. I took a big chance because there is a big difference between our starters and the rest of the roster. I knew our players had some limits but I was expecting a different kind of reaction from them. It was my decision and thus I’m the one to be held responsible.”
Despite the historical setback – perhaps the worst ever conceded by Roma in European competitions, at least morally – Mourinho didn’t lose his dark humor: “The only positive thing is that now you will stop asking me why I always make the same people play,” he told the journalists.
Roma have had a weird tendency to find themselves on the receiving end of some painful European hammering now and then over the past few years. It happened only a few months ago when they got six from Manchester United as well. But while being slaughtered by the Red Devils (or by Barcelona or Bayern Munich) could be acceptable, though not necessary justifiable, the Giallorossi supporters will have a hard time getting over a 1-6 defeat to the Norwegian underdogs.
Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, along with Tammy Abraham, went to talk to the 400 Roma fans that followed the club to Norway at full time to apologize for the team’s hideous performance. He was seen offering his shirt to the fans as a “compensation” but his offer was reportedly turned down.